CenturyLink to cut 60 workers from Carlisle location

CenturyLink Inc., the third largest communications company in the U.S. with regional headquarters in Cumberland County, will lay off 60 workers Jan. 17 at its South Middleton Township call center.

Louisiana-based CenturyLink outlined the layoff in a letter to the state Department of Labor and Industry. The company said it is closing the Centurylink Offline and Click-2-Chat centers at the 1201 Walnut Bottom Road call center.

The layoffs are permanent, but workers will have opportunities to seek other jobs with CenturyLink or be eligible for severance benefits and outplacement services, according to the company's letter.

In January 2012, CenturyLink reorganized call center staff, resulting in a net cut of 45 positions at the Carlisle-area call center. The jobs were moved to North Carolina centers. At the time, about 350 people worked at the center.

Deborah Keyser, a spokeswoman for CenturyLink’s Pennsylvania operations, said the actual number of layoffs will be less than 60 people due to ongoing negotiations at the company.

CenturyLink is not closing the Walnut Bottom location, and the changes will not affect consumer technicians, customer service, sales or operational staff, she said.

Today, the company employs more than 300 people in the greater Carlisle area, she said.

CenturyLink's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CTL. The company is scheduled to release its third-quarter earnings at 4 p.m.